Green Party FAQ

GREEN PARTY FAQ: WHY GREEN?

Aren’t you just a bunch of tree huggers?

True, we do like trees a lot, and so should everyone! Ecological wisdom is one of the four pillars of the Green Party and is very important to our members, but it is not the only thing we care about. The other pillars are Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, and Nonviolence. All four make up the foundation of our values and help guide our decisions when new issues arise.

The Green Party is just like the Democratic Party, right?

There are many important differences between the Green Party and the Democratic Party. The Green Party refuses to take corporate donations, so we remain committed to people first. The Green Party has supported single-payer universal health care since our beginning. The Green Party not only supports a livable wage, but also supports Universal Basic Income, which is becoming more necessary as job automation begins squeezing more and more workers out of the workforce. The Green Party opposes the militarization of our foreign policy and of law enforcement. The Green Party opposes the private prison system. We are a party of peace over profit.

Why do we need more than two political parties?

We have a nation of over 300 million people, full of different opinions and beliefs. Government governs best when it listens to diverse and divergent voices. Right now, two viewpoints dominate our government, which leaves a majority of voices in our country silenced. That has resulted in many important issues being ignored and neglected, while the wealthy and corporations continue to prosper at our expense. We want to return the people’s voice to our government and hold it accountable so it serves us, as it is designed to do.

Ok, but won’t that just take votes away from Democrats, like in 2000?

The “spoiler effect” is a myth based on the assumption that anyone who votes Green would automatically vote Democrat if there were no other choice. This is an incredibly undemocratic assumption. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party pushed this myth in order to marginalize third parties and create even more obstacles to them. You have a right to vote for whomever you choose, and anyone who would shame you or berate you for your choice is not interested in listening to you. The more voices, the better!

Isn’t the party made up of mostly white people?

Social Justice is one of the pillars on which the Green Party is founded. It is extremely important that traditionally underrepresented and vulnerable communities have their voices heard. As of June 2017, fifty percent of the members on the coordinating committee for the Green Party of MN are people of color. We don’t just pay lip service to diverse voices, those voices determine the future of the Green Party in Minnesota! We are always striving for inclusiveness and to act as a vehicle for positive change.

Are there any Greens serving in office right now?

As of June 2017, there are 134 Greens serving in office in 19 states. We want to double that and more! In Minnesota, we have four elected Greens serving in local public office, and 6 currently running for office in 2017. We have big plans for 2018!!

There are no Green candidates running locally, so what does your party do?

We are a growing party and the major parties do not make it easy for other parties to compete, so we don’t always have a candidate running for local office. However, we stay very active in our communities by advocating for issues that align with our values, reaching out to other local groups and organizations to collaborate and improve our communities, educate and inform by holding events like film series, neighborhood conversations, and inviting speakers to town, and simply writing letters to the editor and calling our government representatives to hold them accountable. We strive to be an integral part of our community and a vehicle for positive change.

It depends on your personal level of commitment. There are always needs to fill. We need activists to support issues out in our communities. We need organizers to help build and maintain the party. We need candidates courageous enough to take up the Green Party banner. We need event planners, bookkeepers, brainstormers, concerned citizens, energizers, cheerleaders… in short, we need people!!

Can I just support the Green Party without becoming a member?

Absolutely! The most important way you can support us is to vote for Green candidates whenever they run for office.

Another important way you can support us is to make a donation to help us spread the message of People, Planet and Peace! We never take corporate donations, so we rely on YOU to support us.